Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1887-12-17
THE OFFICIAL Cory.

lfAb
The Congressional Record which ar.
rived during the week brought the Pres
dents message in official form. tits the
briefest message ever made in the history
of the country by an Executive at the
assembling of a new Congress. 1t deals
exclusively with the subject Of the reve-
me laws Of the nation. As has been an.
n~ounced by telegraph, the President
takes strong ground in favor of a reduc.
tinu of taxation on the necessaries OF life.
His reasoning in support of this position
is especially clear and analytical. There
is no attempt at lodging or clouding the
issue which he raises, and which now
confronts Congress and the American
people. He goes to the country squarely
on the issue of a revision of the present
tariff laws, not to the free trade point,
as he claims, but to the end that the
surplus money now flowing into the
vaults of the Treasury may remain in the
pockets of the people. Whether a ma.
jority of the American people shall in.
dorse his views or not, there can be no
mistaking his position. His treatment
of the important question of the tariff is
in the highest degree candid and frank.
People may take issue with his opinions,
but there will be few fair minded men
who will not commend him for his manly
candor. In this regard he is better than
the Democratic party has shown itself to
be in the two last Presidential cam.
paigns. The party has run away from
the tariff issue for eight years. With
Mr.. Cleveland as its standard bearer for
reelection, it must now face the issue
without equivocation or evasion. Hating
shams and hypocrisy, as we do, we are
glad that the issue has been made. There
will be something tangible and sensible
for the press and orators to talk about IN
next years great political battle. 1t will
be refreshing to get rid Of the dead rub.
bish of a dead and buried past. The
country will at least become enlightened
as to "who is tariff" and why he is
for revenue only" Aud after it is all
over we will each cling to our individual
opinions as to how the revenues for the
maintenance of the Government should
be laid and collected, each being more or
less biased in our judgment, as affected
by the dominant interest of the ~particu.
lar section in which we may live. While
protection to American industries, when
periodically viewed in a national sense,
is manifestly and incontrovertibly a great
blessing to this country, the greed OF
gain usually asserts itself in the adjust.
ment of a tariff law, and certain sections
generally strive to get more than their
share of the beneicence proceeding from
it. New England is a buyer of wool and
a manufacturer OF wooden goods. Natu.
rally, New England wants free raw wool.
Louisiana wants sugar and cotton pro.
tected and everything else free. Penn.
sylvania clamors for high duties on iron,
steel and coal, and would place the pro.
ducts of other States and sections which
she must onsume at the lowest possible
ebb. And so it goes all the way round.
While the doctrine of protection is a
part and parcel of our American policy,
no matter under which political party,
the adjustment of the tariff law is GOV.
erned in the largest degree by local con.
siderations. Fairly and honestly it is
not in any proper sense a party question,
and never should become 80. Both par.
ties d~emagogue on the subject to subserve
selfish, not patriotic, ends. No honest
man, understanding the Question, can
say whether he is for this or that tariff
measure until he shall first have informed
himself as to whether the measure itself
is fair and equitable to all sections of the
country. Demagogues will howl for a
given policy right or wrong. Patriotic
men will want to see the proposed law
before they decide how much of it is good
and how much bad.
But we are glad that these great CUES.
tions OF revenue and government are to
be discussed throughout the length and
breadth of the land in the approaching
National election. Whatever may be the
fate OF political parties and candidates,
the people of the United States will
emerge from the contest better informed
than ever before regarding these in.
tensely interesting topics.